young gods, young fools

Wes looked a little unsure of the ramen flavor he had picked but if he was one thing, he was stubborn. The so-called 'Lovely Hot' would have to do. "Cheese? Is that good?" He supposed it was, since Michio claimed it as a top flavor. "Uh." Wes scratched at his jaw. "I handle it," he said evasively, trying to remember the last thing he had that would constitute as 'spicy' and drawing a relative blank. "And you?" He asked to be polite.

Despite his stoic facade, Wes couldn't help but exhale a laugh at Michio's wink. "I'll, uh, keep the tips in mind. Or maybe just build up a tolerance. Like you said." Had he always been so gruff? Gods, he sounded like an old man. Somehow he managed not to make a face, deciding on the spot that cheese ramen was not something he would enjoy. Hopefully 'Lovely Hot' was. What a ridiculous name. The sudden attention made Wes' skin prickle, though he knew his housemate was merely being friendly — Wes ought to take a page from his book. "Ah. Well. It gets stuffy up there." It was a hollow excuse so he reached for another. "Phoebe keeps trying to get me involved. I figure I am abusing their hospitality if I hole up in my room any longer. And—" If he was being honest... "If I'm honest, I've spent enough time with my own company. Socializing is a welcome change, even if I'm out of practice."

Undeterred by his brother's introspective mood, Graves stood facing the adjoining wall, tossing a spray can from hand to hand. He'd been lucky enough to find some blank retail space across the corner and was trying to figure out what cool thing he could make with the supplies on hand. "Huh?" Cyrus' tone took Graves by surprise and he turned, normally jovial expression slipping slightly. "You comin' up empty, man? You good?" He set the can down next to the others that had spilled over his bag and moved to stand beside Cyrus, looking at him with apprehension.

"Uh huh," Graves said, clearly disbelieving that his brother was 'fine.' He watched as Cyrus took his frustrations out, first on his hair, then on one of the spray cans. "Yeah, maybe. Or y'could just—" Picking up the can he had just set down, Graves shook it vigorously, the can clacking in protest, and brought it to the blank swath of wall. He sprayed a large squiggle. No rhyme, no reason. Just a squiggle. Turning to Cyrus, Graves gestured at the wall. "Try not to think about it, man. If your mind's blank, let it chill. Just go on autopilot." It felt like pretty profound advice. He'd have to tell Macey about it later, sure she would think he was onto something. "Are ya tryin' to tell me there's that much goin' on in your head on a normal day?" Graves went for a joke to lighten the mood.

As a master of not-overthinking, following Caspar's instruction to relax came naturally to Koda. She was not, however, a master of graceful movement (unless you counted on the battlefield). "A spin? Um, sure!" She chirped, though the movement was a little wobbly. "How was that? I can do another, better probably!" It was endearing, the way her brother threw himself fully into every new project. They were a lot alike, Koda thought as she watched him behind the lens. "No problem, Cas! You know I'm always down to get creative. Plus this time, I'm trying something new!"

Graceful forest spirit, huh? She could try that. Koda twirled around again, wisps of hair brushing against her face. When she came to a standstill, she looked over at where Cas stood with his camera and shrugged. "Not like this! I don't really have the patience to pose for too long, y'know? Photos always come out blurry and then I have to take them again and sit still even longer and ughhh it's the worst it makes me feel so weird." She laughed at her long-winded explanation before adding, " But not this! This is so much fun. Do you want to be in any? If you tell me where to position the camera I can point'n'shoot a few pics of you?"

"Forever? No way, dude!" Joel shook his head, trying to dismiss Auggie's worries. "When I was in high school, I had a rough time with insomnia. But then Jade and I came here and bam! Sleep comes easier here. Protection spells are the way to go, fo sho." He still had some sleep issues, but that was less a failure on the charm's part and more of a curse-type problem, so he left it out of his story. "Anytime you need, dude. I'll come by. And if you need a change of scenery, you can always crash with me and Jadey. We've got plenty of space over there." Joel eyed the snacks, then picked up the box of tea and opened it, taking out two packets. "I'll make some of this and we can get settled in. The charm is crazy. It's my dad's symbol and the one over our cabin is made of dreamglass, which I'm pretty familiar with so I think I can yoink one pretty quick in the dreamscape. You just hang it up, either on the front of the cabin above the entrance or like, maybe it would be super-strong if you hung it over your bedroom door. I dunno." Rustling around the cabin, he found a kettle and proceeded to fill it with some water. "What have you been dreaming about anyway?"

Joel's eyes went wide, instantly enthralled by Auggie's explanation. He found himself nodding along as he set the kettle on the stove and turned up the heat. Leave it to the two of them to get up to some cursed-as-hell sleep shit. Must run in the family, he thought. "Oh, it'll totally help, man! I bet it'll banish that presence like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis, but despite his calm demeanor, he felt a chill. A presence? Watching Auggie? Whispering in the ears of his dream-self? "That sounds real spooky, but if I know one thing, it's that dreams and reality aren't that different. On the off chance the charm doesn't work, I'll help ya figure out what's going on!" Joel gave Auggie his enthusiastic promise. "And if it turns out to be something that's not totally suited to my powers? Heck, I'll ask all my older siblings to help. I'm sure one of us is bound to have you covered," he tried to reassure his friend.

"Very sure," Jaime admitted, growing more embarrassed with each passing second. He was a gentle giant, at home in the forest with it's dappled light and leafy canopies, but here in this clearing he looked even more like a deer in headlights than the person he had just caught by surprise. "The path hasn't been cut back in a while. I must have stepped off it without realizing. Did you construct this shrine?" He peered past the stranger, curious. His face was familiar to Jaime and it took him a moment to place it: this was River. The person Xavier had been switched with. What were the odds of them running into each other? Here in this secluded clearing of all places?

Jaime's startled look softened into something more like appreciation as River explained his part in the shrine's existence. Nature takes them back. Such a succinct statement: so simple, so true, so powerful. Easily, he nodded. "I do. I've always felt a bit called to nature and was quite curious about Pan and satyrs and dryads and the like when I first came here as a teenager. If I had anything with me, I would leave an offering." Jaime gave River a tentative smile. "Maybe another time— with your permission, that is." It didn't seem likely he would stumble upon the clearing again, something Jaime had mixed feelings about but would likely be preferred by River, who was standing taught as a bowstring. At his question, Jaime nodded slowly. "His brother. My name is Jaime Jin." He didn't say 'and you're River', wanting to give the other demigod the opportunity to choose his own response, if he wished to respond at all.

Swapped…bodies? Right. That had happened. It felt more like a fever dream. He frankly couldn’t believe it wasn't a dream, if he was being honest. Who did that body snatcher sort of thing? Jaime blinked. "That is frustrating," he agreed, speaking slowly to give himself time to gather his thoughts. "I imagine River is just as frustrated though. Especially for someone not as entrenched in demigod life as you have been. Or-- well, I suppose I don't quite know if that is true. But I'm sure it was just as much of a shock to him. Maybe...give him time to warm up? If you're interested in befriending him, it may be best to attempt getting to know him without bringing up the, er, incident?" The suggestion seemed to simple, but Jaime was unsure the best course of action. He'd never had his consciousness swapped with someone else's after all. "If I can help, I will."

"That would certainly be weirder than the truck," Jaime had to agree. He also agreed that it was strange River refused to acknowledge the event at all but felt sort of hypocritical about it: there were plenty of things he had never acknowledged in his life. Like being a teenage runaway, or having dreams of falling into a dark pit for all eternity. Xavier was clearly unsettled by River's behavior, and because of this, Jaime sided with him and his clear distress. "Sure, maybe you're overthinking it. But Xav," he used his brother's nickname, offering him a smile. "I think anyone would be doing the same in your situation. River might be a private person, or just ill at ease given the connection between you, but you aren't in the wrong for trying to talk to him." Jaime's expression soured, hating the thought that someone would make his brother feel this way. Xavier, sunshine in mortal form. Cheerful, outgoing, friendly Xavier. Perhaps the ordeal was too much for River to process. "Have you tried confronting him about it?" Jaime asked, picking up the DS not to play but rather to fiddle with while

Now that he had put out his joint, Jaime’s hands were freed to take up their true purpose: clutching a still-steaming mug of tea. Where Patrick seemed a little unprepared for the temperature, Jaime was unbothered, almost wishing the mug of matcha was even hotter. The temperature would ground him whenever the weed did its job and he began to feel all fuzzy around the edges. He took a sip, then another, hiding the curve of a smile. “Five dollars says you’re wrong.” Had he really just started a bet? Patrick was rubbing off on him, he could practically hear Rae tease. And wait— “Call me crazy…does she look a lot like Rae? Or do I need my glasses?” Jaime leaned forward slightly, looking from the screen to Patrick to the screen again. “Huh. Not-Rae is totally the killer. I would like to rescind my earlier answer.”

He was the type who could guess the ending halfway through. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a telling smile. “It’s from all the reading,” he said in lieu of yes, meaning clear enough. “With enough of it, you see the patterns. I can keep my guesses quiet if it’ll spoil your fun.” The filter between his lips was a slight surprise— not that he hadn’t seen the movement from Patrick, just that Jaime hadn’t expected him to do that. His eyebrows, hidden by his bangs, rose slightly as he studied Patrick’s face. Why had he frowned? Jaime didn’t know, and then it passed, the moment replaced with an orange glow at the tip of the joint. Taking a hit, he inhaled a little too deeply and had to pass the joint to Patrick, quickly turning to cough into his shoulder. His throat burned. So did his ears, tinged pink with embarrassment. “Amateur hour over here.”

He was the type who could guess the ending halfway through. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a telling smile. “It’s from all the reading,” he said in lieu of yes, meaning clear enough. “With enough of it, you see the patterns. I can keep my guesses quiet if it’ll spoil your fun.” The filter between his lips was a slight surprise— not that he hadn’t seen the movement from Patrick, just that Jaime hadn’t expected him to do that. His eyebrows, hidden by his bangs, rose slightly as he studied Patrick’s face. Why had he frowned? Jaime didn’t know, and then it passed, the moment replaced with an orange glow at the tip of the joint. Taking a hit, he inhaled a little too deeply and had to pass the joint to Patrick, quickly turning to cough into his shoulder. His throat burned. So did his ears, tinged pink with embarrassment. “Amateur hour over here.”

"I can't take credit for it, Cleo suggested it," Jaime clarified, gently setting down the candle. He leaned forward to examine the plants Rae had selected for him. How did she decide which were best? Was it a Demeter thing? A Rae thing? Either way, he glanced up at her and smiled. "I trust you, I'll take both of these. One for Cleo, one for me. A fun little memory and an addition to the garden I call an apartment these days. But--" He straightened up, moving to round the corner. "I'll still come back there to check out everything. I woke up feeling nosy today. Like the universe said go, poke around Rae's shop, uncover all her secrets," Jaime joked as an unfamiliar plant caught his eye. He lifted a hand to prod at it but halted the motion centimeters away from the leaf. "What's this one?"

Walking aimlessly through camp, Drew's ears had pricked up, recognizing a familiar pulsing beat. He followed the sound as if caught in a spell, pausing only to push open the door to the Hades cabin. "Shoulda known," Drew muttered to himself. A slow, lazy grin spread up his face and he began to hum the familiar bars as he tromped up the stairs. Finding the right room, he posted up in Lilith's doorway, waiting to be noticed. Reaching up to stretch, he hooked his fingers on the doorframe, raising his eyebrows when Lilith turned around. With a nod toward the speaker, her smugly informed her, "That's my song, you know." Curiosity got the better of him after a moment and he rapped the doorframe with his knuckles. "Well, shit. Don't leave me in suspense like that. Shoot."

“Background music, huh? That’s not what you said last time," Drew teased with a cocky grin. He was too busy admiring Lilith from his spot in the doorway to actually be offended. "Try not to get a big fucking head from this but yes, you have very good taste." He drummed his fingers on the doorway, before Lilith's question made Drew laugh hard enough that he unhooked his fingers from the doorframe to clutch at his side. "Interior decorating? Eh. But I sure as shit have opinions. I could probably help ya out. You rearranging?"

Undeterred by his brother's introspective mood, Graves stood facing the adjoining wall, tossing a spray can from hand to hand. He'd been lucky enough to find some blank retail space across the corner and was trying to figure out what cool thing he could make with the supplies on hand. "Huh?" Cyrus' tone took Graves by surprise and he turned, normally jovial expression slipping slightly. "You comin' up empty, man? You good?" He set the can down next to the others that had spilled over his bag and moved to stand beside Cyrus, looking at him with apprehension.

Faust paid no attention to the mess, instead firing off a few quick texts. Her nails clacked against her phone screen as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "Don't worry about it, babes," she said, without looking up. Side-stepping a short stack of books on the floor, she made it over to Davina and pocketed her phone. "Oh. Wow." For once, Faust was speechless as she stared at the colorful fish. "This is like, blowing my mind a little. They're so cute. Which one is your favorite?"

As a master of not-overthinking, following Caspar's instruction to relax came naturally to Koda. She was not, however, a master of graceful movement (unless you counted on the battlefield). "A spin? Um, sure!" She chirped, though the movement was a little wobbly. "How was that? I can do another, better probably!" It was endearing, the way her brother threw himself fully into every new project. They were a lot alike, Koda thought as she watched him behind the lens. "No problem, Cas! You know I'm always down to get creative. Plus this time, I'm trying something new!"